JSETH
New Member
Hello everyone... first post here. I love Integras! Have had a few now... my newest acquisition is a near-mint 1999 GS-R... completely stock! 55k miles on it! Owned for the first 12 1/2 years by an older guy in Oakland, CA; when he died, the car had 35k on it, garaged, just superb... next owned by a younger guy in central Oregon, who put 20k on it in a year and a half... and now me! It came to me with an inch and half thick stack of ALL the work that the old guy had done to it, through the Acura dealer in Oakland...
So, first thing I did was to replace the timing belt; it had not been done, ever! Not in 14 years... I couldn't believe that the fellow from whom I bought it didn't do it immediately... so, I have mechanic get a "real" Honda/Acura belt for it, despite the increased cost... he also adjusted the valves, put a new wiring harness and distributor cap on it, along with a new set of plugs.
The car ran so well, so smooth, the drivetrain is absolutely perfect on it! I don't put that many miles on my car nowadays, but I did run up to Portland and back (I live in Corvallis, OR.)... not a wrinkle in the performance, just purred along...
Thursday night, on my way to a music gig, car loaded with PA and guitars and dog, in a torrential downpour... and I'm about 2 miles from my gig when I hear this GOD AWFUL NOISE, from the driver's side of the engine compartment... because I had JUST (360 miles previous) replaced the timing belt, I thought, "Okay, it ISN'T that... " but it was obviously related to engine r.p.m., not vehicle speed... so I decided to push on to my gig... no lights, no nothing on the dashboard to indicate a "major" problem...
I made it another 150 yards before the engine quit completely... never made any sort of loud sound, no grinding, no nothing...
After it's towed home and my mechanic friend looks at it, it's apparent that the high priced Honda belt SHREDDED in tow halves, lengthwise, and then broke... at this point, the local Honda dealer is taking the stance that it's the mechanic's fault. That doesn't seem like the case, mostly because it ran absolutely perfectly before it shredded...
Thus far, we've ascertained that the valve clearances are all in spec; the pulleys, tensioners and water pump are all like new... one of the cam sprockets is scored, between the teeth, pretty much all the way around, but the other cam sprocket is pristine...
What else should I look for, as far as possible damage to the engine from this event? I don't want to put it all back together, fire it up and find out that I have just totally ruined this wonderful little engine!
I feel like a total idiot, of course... especially if I've just trashed such a prime example of this model. My '96 LS just got stolen from me in Portland at the end of July, and I felt really fortunate to find this one.
Any clues as to what else to look for, or what else should be tested, BEFORE putting it all back together again?
Thanks, in advance! (sorry for such a lengthy first post...)
drive on...................................................>
John
So, first thing I did was to replace the timing belt; it had not been done, ever! Not in 14 years... I couldn't believe that the fellow from whom I bought it didn't do it immediately... so, I have mechanic get a "real" Honda/Acura belt for it, despite the increased cost... he also adjusted the valves, put a new wiring harness and distributor cap on it, along with a new set of plugs.
The car ran so well, so smooth, the drivetrain is absolutely perfect on it! I don't put that many miles on my car nowadays, but I did run up to Portland and back (I live in Corvallis, OR.)... not a wrinkle in the performance, just purred along...
Thursday night, on my way to a music gig, car loaded with PA and guitars and dog, in a torrential downpour... and I'm about 2 miles from my gig when I hear this GOD AWFUL NOISE, from the driver's side of the engine compartment... because I had JUST (360 miles previous) replaced the timing belt, I thought, "Okay, it ISN'T that... " but it was obviously related to engine r.p.m., not vehicle speed... so I decided to push on to my gig... no lights, no nothing on the dashboard to indicate a "major" problem...
I made it another 150 yards before the engine quit completely... never made any sort of loud sound, no grinding, no nothing...
After it's towed home and my mechanic friend looks at it, it's apparent that the high priced Honda belt SHREDDED in tow halves, lengthwise, and then broke... at this point, the local Honda dealer is taking the stance that it's the mechanic's fault. That doesn't seem like the case, mostly because it ran absolutely perfectly before it shredded...
Thus far, we've ascertained that the valve clearances are all in spec; the pulleys, tensioners and water pump are all like new... one of the cam sprockets is scored, between the teeth, pretty much all the way around, but the other cam sprocket is pristine...
What else should I look for, as far as possible damage to the engine from this event? I don't want to put it all back together, fire it up and find out that I have just totally ruined this wonderful little engine!
I feel like a total idiot, of course... especially if I've just trashed such a prime example of this model. My '96 LS just got stolen from me in Portland at the end of July, and I felt really fortunate to find this one.
Any clues as to what else to look for, or what else should be tested, BEFORE putting it all back together again?
Thanks, in advance! (sorry for such a lengthy first post...)
drive on...................................................>
John